


The Portent

by obiwansghost



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-19 04:41:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5953999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obiwansghost/pseuds/obiwansghost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Updated!) Anakin has been freed following the Boonta Eve race. Queen Amidala's Royal Starship is repaired, and can finally leave Tatooine once Qui-Gon and young Skywalker return. And so we explore Obi-Wan's point-of-view, and his feelings during their last moments on Tatooine and their departure, especially after meeting Anakin for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preface

Deep meditative breaths filled his lungs, which were still constricted by uneasy nerves. The soft hum of the starship was helpful, but what good was it to meditate if the mind didn't cooperate? Calm and patient, that's what he should have been. Master Qui-Gon guided their every step with full knowledge he held the fate of the mission in his hands. But then, why was there a nervous twinge in his chest ever since Qui-Gon had found that boy? And why was it getting worse? Something in the air felt off. It spread throughout his body as a prickling sensation. He couldn't subdue these anxieties, and he clenched his fists. It was time to stop the endless cycle.

His Master wouldn't do anything that might endanger their mission, and it was wrong to think otherwise. That was that, and he straightened his posture as he let the thoughts go. If he looked confident, he would feel confident. Even then, however, the atmosphere was thick, viscous almost, like something dripping over his aura. Was it something else? Maybe. If all the stars in the galaxy aligned to spite him.

It was hard to be sure when his mind was so clouded. Certainly a better Jedi wouldn't be distracted by doubt and anxiety. A better Jedi wouldn't question his Master's motives. A better Jedi would focus on the present. _Be mindful of the Living Force, Obi-Wan_ , his Master's voice admonished in his mind as if he was standing next to him, and he looked down at the floor. 

_This is why I'm still a Padawan._

He rubbed his face and paced the floor of the cockpit, looking out at the bright sands of Tatooine. Too bright. He squinted, feeling the strain as he searched the horizon. No one could convince him this desolate rock was a habitable planet. The situation would feel better if they were anywhere but here... 

Ric Olié was busy at the pilot station and his back was to him, thankfully, so the man couldn't judge when his feelings betrayed him. He was here to protect the ship in his Master's absence, and giving the people on board any reason to doubt him was the last thing he wanted. They trusted him, and Obi-wan's face flushed with heat. He could be better than this.

So he forced a calm exterior and focused his full attention on the sweeping sands outside. It was tiring looking at the same patch of blinding-white sand and the rippling heat above it, waiting in the same spot when he could be more useful elsewhere. If only he could be by his Master's side instead of waiting on the ship. He almost shook his head at the thought. No... this was his place, this is where Qui-Gon wanted him to be. 

Well, at least they would be getting out of this trifling dust pit soon. The ship was repaired and in order; he'd seen to that for Qui-Gon's return. Now, he felt his Master getting closer.

The bad feeling from before intensified suddenly, as if a dark wave crashed over him and congealed his blood to ice. Something else was getting closer too.


	2. Leaving Tatooine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qui-Gon narrowly escaped a certain mysterious figure, and the Nubian Royal Starship is finally able to leave Tatooine. Obi-Wan is uncertain of the future, however. Meanwhile Anakin gets better acquainted with the young Jedi.

"Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Obi-Wan wasn't prepared for this, not any of it. The dark figure was still out there, fading away into the distance. His hand twitched in want of his lightsaber, and almost grabbed it, but the expectant gaze of his Master reminded him of his place. Centering himself, he took a deep breath, and willed his crackling nerves to calm. 

As the small boy named Anakin beamed up at him, he could only stare. Next to them, Qui-Gon sat on the floor of the Nubian Royal starship which was now gritty with sand, his arm scraping away a sheet of dirt and perspiration from his brow. Obi-Wan winced internally at the sight of his Master's frame, as bruised and sunken in defeat as it was. It was a stark contrast to the strong, proud features he was used to. He could always see through Qui-Gon's forced composure, only this time he didn't want to. There were rare moments when his Master couldn't hide... 

"Wow. You're a Jedi too!"

The boy took his hand in a friendly gesture, and Obi-Wan was suddenly shaking hands with the enthusiastic child, despite himself. He looked down at the admiring face, which was masked in that detestable Tatooine grime, but genuine kindness and innocence beamed through like crystal in the rough. It was a momentary distraction from the exasperation in his heart, and he felt a smile help itself across his face, though words failed in his throat. This boy wasn't the sullen vassal he expected. Still, the nervous twinge in his heart returned.

Qui-Gon was already getting up from the cold floor, even though it must have been soothing after the heated clashing of lightsabers between him and the dark figure. He stood, hiding his weariness behind a smile as he looked at them fondly. Obi-Wan wished he wouldn't stand up so quickly, his Master needed rest, but they couldn't stay idle. They needed to escort the Queen to Coruscant, and time was sacrosanct. Lives depended on them, and a sick feeling rose in him. The pain and damage that could happen if they lingered a moment too long. Every wasted breath could mean the last some would ever breathe. He swallowed, feeling his brow and jaw tighten with purpose.

He caught his Master's eye. "The ship is ready. Thanks to the goodness of our Toydarian friend's heart, of course."

Qui-Gon smiled at him, and put a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "And no small amount of courage from Anakin."

Obi-Wan said nothing. He looked from Qui-Gon to Anakin as they turned from him, and rolled his eyes in the moment he felt that nervous twinge solidify into tangible despair in his chest. How could he be expected to understand why they were taking this child, force-sensitive or not? The people of Naboo depended on them, and his Master had divided his focus between them and this boy, his newest project. As if the Gungan wasn't enough, not that he wanted reminding of that.

The nervous heat that tensed his body was challenged only by the heaviness he felt in his heart. Qui-Gon had his reasons, as ill-advised as they were. He didn't do it out of selfishness. Quite the contrary. And, as his Master disappeared in the direction of the pilot compartment, Obi-Wan looked after him, pleading with his eyes, his spirit reaching out to him. Except the space between them cleaved as a great divide. That same feeling was inside him, too.

*** * * ***

"...They all bolted ahead, and I was stuck. I fed in too much fuel while it was stalled... The left turbine is very, very delicate...

...But they couldn't match my Radon-Ulzers!...

...Have you ever seen a podracer hit a rock wall at 800 kilometers per hour?...

...This way, that way, then some thrust to the engine... Right over Gasgano's Podracer!...

...so I grabbed the magnetic retriever... I wasn't about to let _Sebulba_ have the last laugh..."

Obi-Wan had tried seeking refuge from Anakin Skywalker in every part of the ship, but the boy followed him everywhere with enthusiastic persistence, much to Qui-Gon's amusement, which his Master hadn't bothered to hide. Though Obi-Wan didn't pretend to match his admirer's enthusiasm or even hide his displeasure, Anakin seemed captivated by the one-sided conversation, as if just talking to the Jedi who was a little closer to his age was enough. Finally taking a moment to rest, Obi-Wan had finally resigned himself to the boy's company, and his endless talk about podracers and winning the Boonta Eve race.

At least it felt nice to sit down for the first time in... well, however long it had been. As predicted, right after he did so, the boy sat across from him at the cold table. The fiery enthusiasm of his energy told Obi-Wan this was exactly where he wanted him.

"What's it like? Being a Jedi, I mean." Anakin's ardent gaze studied him.

Obi-Wan's folded arms rested in front of him and he inhaled deeply, fortifying himself. Anakin straightened and folded his arms too, probably subconsciously, but the imitation didn't go unnoticed. 

"It's a way of life." He rationed his words, choosing them carefully. "A life lived in service to others." Simply put, and Obi-Wan kept his tone even. He may have been explaining what being a chief accountant was like.

"But you rescue people, and you stop other people from hurting them. You do that, don't you, Obi-Wan?"

A knot formed in his stomach. There was a hopefulness behind those words that grew daggers by the moment, waiting to rend all those hopes to nothing. In those eyes, Obi-Wan saw a fragile, unrealistic dream. A dream of becoming a Jedi. What could he possibly tell him that he wouldn't regret later?

Obi-Wan exhaled some tension. "Anakin." That sounded authoritative enough. "You should rest, Tatooine is far behind us now. We're almost to Coruscant." Something in him clicked. They _were_ almost there weren't they? What exactly did Qui-Gon have planned for Anakin? Did he possibly think the boy would be accepted by the Council? His Master had decided not to further communicate with him on the matter, and that was the most worrying thing of all. Whatever thoughts he had, no matter how ill-advised, his Master knew he could share them. 

So why didn't he.

The silence brought him back to the present moment. What he said must have hit some chord in Anakin, as the beaming enthusiasm quieted into reflection. Obi-Wan observed him now that he was still. A heaviness manifested between them: the boy's sadness, collecting in the air like moisture. It permeated his own aura, and his guarded countenance softened toward him, the tightness in his body unwinding.

He hesitated for a moment. "You'll be taken care of there, and well."

Anakin looked up at him after wiping a poorly-hidden tear from his eye. "That's good."

Silence again. There was more to it than that, and Obi-Wan looked at Anakin more intently, though the boy didn't seem to notice. Tatooine was far away now, thankfully. But did Anakin share his relief? The shackles of slavery and the scorching heat were behind him now, but so was something else, easily overlooked from a Jedi point of view: His mother.

Obi-Wan's brow worked as the thought registered and digested in his mind, and instinctively he searched for any comparison in his own feelings and memories. The closest thing he had to a parent was Qui-Gon. Was it the same thing? What else could he compare it to so he could better understand the boy's loss? 

Nothing. Thinking back far enough, Obi-Wan found no similar attachments. There were only vague feelings and barely-there shapes, faded by time. He couldn't remember what his parents were like. There was only an absence in their place. It had always been there as a normal part of his life, but for a moment, there was an ephemeral weight in his spirit. He pushed the feeling away, frowning and closing his eyes. Qui-Gon took him as his Padwan when he was thirteen. If they had been separated shortly after, he couldn't imagine where he'd be.

Obi-Wan smiled lightly. "You'll see the Jedi temple soon."

Anakin looked at him again and something reminiscent of the bright eyes from before flickered across his face. "Do you live there? What's it like?"

"Yes, and it's a little bigger than anything you're used to. Beautiful, too."

"Will I still be with you? And Qui-Gon?"

Obi-Wan opened his mouth slightly, but hesitated. "You are... Qui-Gon's responsibility." Best not to say much more than that.

Anakin exhaled in what looked like relief, though Obi-Wan could sense the cloud of doubt over him. Then the boy quirked his lips to the side. "I hope we get to eat when we get there..."

Anakin wasn't a self-reliant Jedi youngling. He was a different species entirely, dependent and needful. Qui-Gon should have seen to those needs. Or maybe he was waiting for his Padawan to step in. Obi-Wan looked around the room, but no one was waiting to step in for him, of course. A soft-hearted roll of the eyes and he put a hand to his belt, retrieving something. He weighed the food capsules in his hand, and scraped away the sand that had stowed away from Tatooine.

"Here. One before you sleep and one for when you wake up. _Not_ both at once. They're not much in the way of substance, but they'll replenish some much-needed vitality." He expected some childish disappointment as he put them on the table in front of the other. 

However, Anakin seemed more enchanted by nutrient pills than one should be. "Like you? You take these on missions, right?"

"In want of a jogan fruit cake, yes." A smile pulled at the corner of his lips.

Without hesitation, Anakin took the capsules and put one in his raggedy pocket. "I won't forget."

"You'll be taking that one now." Obi-Wan got up in one slow, fluid movement and looked down at him. Someone had to put the boy to bed.

"Oh, alright." Anakin looked past him. "Where is _your_ room?"

Nice try. "Right across from where you'll be."

Disappointment flashed across his face. "Where's that?"

"Well, I'm going to show you."

*** * * ***

The clean rooms and cots of the royal starship were more inviting than those in other ships he was used to, despite the cramped space. Obi-Wan walked soundlessly into the starboard sleeping quarters, his head light and his energy waning. Qui-Gon laid asleep on one of the cots, and Obi-Wan stopped to regard him for a moment before climbing into his own bed nearby. Space was deathly-still around them, much different than the constant howling winds and aggressive sands of Tatooine. A welcome respite.

Lying down would appease his aching muscles, but he sat instead, studying his Master's features in the dim light. The strength and colour had returned to the man's face, but the ghost of what he had seen earlier sent a keen pang through him. Once or twice before had Qui-Gon's invincible mask been unable to hide a weariness that was hard to face. Qui-Gon was the steadfast pillar of strength he looked to when uncertain, but he was not as young as he once was. Today, facing that figure on Tatooine, that same weariness had him in a grip that forced the mask to crack. It was no longer invincible, and neither was Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan wasn't there for him today, but he swore:

_I won't let you face such a challenge alone again, Master._

His body sunk in listless acceptance. Yawning, he situated himself into a meditative position, and tapped into that familiar vein of the Force that always brought him serenity. His mind stilled, at last. The Force gathered around him, and he breathed it into his aura as a soothing balm. Whatever waited in the days to come, at least in this moment he could find some peace.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic for Obi-Wan so I'm just getting a feel for him. It's also my first time writing in months, but hopefully it isn't too bad!


End file.
